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Judge Dismisses Salt-N-Pepa’s Suit Against UMG Over Early Masters

The court said the rappers never executed the original grants needed to reclaim the copyrights under Section 203.

Overview

  • U.S. District Judge Denise Cote in Manhattan granted UMG’s motion to dismiss on Jan. 8, closing the case.
  • The decision found early rights were granted through Noise in the Attic and transferred via a 1986 deal with Next Plateau, not by the artists themselves.
  • UMG called the complaint baseless and said it had tried to resolve compensation and access issues and remains open to a resolution.
  • Salt-N-Pepa alleged UMG pulled hits like Push It and Shoop from major streaming services after they served termination notices in 2022, and much of the catalog remains unavailable.
  • The duo filed the lawsuit in May 2025, and representatives for Salt-N-Pepa did not immediately comment on the ruling.